Peoria, IL -- Bradley Men's Basketball has landed four more commitments to their 2025 recruiting class

The Bradley Braves have now signed seven members to their 2025 recruiting class, who will join the six returners from last season. Bradley is coming off a 28-9 season in which they advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2025 NIT. The Braves earned several notable achievements, including leading the nation in three-point percentage, leading the MVC in attendance, and ranking in the top 25 nationally for field goal percentage defense. The Braves' seven newest members will join returners Demarion Burch, Timoty van der Knaap, Jaquan Johnson, Corey Thomas, Ahmet Jonovic, and Gus Rugaard.

Thoughts on the 2025 recruiting class
"We wanted to add experienced forwards and a wing who we know can score and who have produced at the Division I level. We are very excited about AJ, Alex, and Mayar joining us they are three guys with a lot of experience. You can't cheat experience, so blending these guys with our young incoming freshmen and returners is a great fit for our locker room and fills our needs and wants for the upcoming season.

I feel AJ and Mayar are very good rebounders, and Alex is a very good perimeter rebounder who will help us on the defensive end, which was important to us. Then there's Kai. At 7 feet tall, he brings tremendous upside to our team. After adjusting to the college game and overcoming early language barriers, he's poised to take a big step forward as a redshirt sophomore. All four are talented and versatile players. Our fans will love watching these young men's games and personalities on the court!" - Brian Wardle

Let's meet the new signees!
AJ Smith - Guard | Edwardsville, IL/James Madison (SR)
AJ Smith joins the Braves as a senior guard/forward transfer from James Madison University in the Sun Belt. Originally from Edwardsville, IL, Smith started all 32 games for the Dukes and averaged 7.3 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game while shooting 42.5% from the field, 31.4% from three-point range, and 80.6% from the free-throw line. By the end of the season, Smith led the Dukes in total rebounds (200) and had four games with 10 or more rebounds.

Prior to his time at James Madison, AJ Smith was part of the Southern Indiana men's basketball program from 2022 to 2024, where he played in 49 career games and averaged 13.7 points per game, 8.8 rebounds per game, 1.4 assists per game, and 1.1 steals per game. Smith played his high school basketball at Metro East Lutheran High School, where he became the 11th member of the school's 1,000-point club. Following his senior season, during which he averaged 22.2 points per game and 9.2 rebounds per game, Smith was named to the AP 1A Class Second Team.

Alex Huibregtse - Guard | Grafton, WI/Wright State (GR)
Alex Huibregtse will play his final season of college basketball with the Bradley Braves after spending his previous five seasons with the Wright State Raiders men's basketball program. Huibregtse appeared in 124 career games, making 76 starts for the Raiders. During the 2024–25 season, Alex surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career in Wright State's matchup with Fort Wayne, where he finished with 31 points, including seven three-pointers. In a game against the Bradley Braves at the 2024 Myrtle Beach Invitational, Alex scored 13 points and added four rebounds and four assists.

Huibregtse played for Grafton High School, where he was named a Wisconsin First Team All-State selection in Division 2 during his senior season, averaging 24.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 47.3% from three-point range. He was also named to the North Shore Conference First Team as a junior.

Mayar Wol - Forward | Raleigh, NC/Eastern Kentucky (JR)
The ASUN Sixth Man of the Year for 2024–25 is set to join the Bradley Braves for the upcoming 2025–26 season. Wol appeared in all 32 games during the 2024–25 season and averaged 8.9 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 33% from three and 40% from the floor. During Eastern Kentucky's eight-game win streak, Wol was instrumental, averaging 13.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. His 2024–25 season was highlighted by a 25-point outing against West Georgia and two nine-rebound games against Florida Gulf Coast and Alice Lloyd.

Prior to his time at Eastern Kentucky, Wol was part of the College of Charleston, where he appeared in 22 games in the 2023–24 season, including an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. His accomplishments don't stop there, Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, NC, Wol was ranked as a top-90 recruit in the country by 247Sports.

Kai Yu - Center | Zhuhai, Guangdong, China/Liberty (R-SO)
Kai Yu joins the Braves from Zhuhai, Guangdong, China, by way of Liberty University, where he spent his redshirt freshman season. During that season, Yu appeared in 15 games, accumulating 45 minutes of game action while shooting 56% from the floor (5-for-9). He frequently got to the free-throw line, converting 13 of his 21 attempts, and collected 16 rebounds over the year. Off the court, Yu was named to the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll.

Before his time at Liberty, Yu spent a prep year at Link Year Prep. He has a twin brother, Sean, who plays at Newman in Wichita, Kansas.

The Braves new additions join incoming freshmen Matthew Zobrist, Montana Wheeler, and Dietrich Richardson to bring the class total to seven. Read more here